Churchill Downs Inc. has received approval to operate an account wagering hub in Oregon and plans to have its new betting service, twinspires.com, operational before the spring meet begins at Churchill Downs April 28.

A two-hour discussion on account wagering and secondary pari-mutuel operations July 14 again revealed horsemen have knowledge of situations that suck revenue from purse accounts, but no definitive national strategy to recoup the money.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority has extended its public comment period for new administrative regulations governing multi-jurisdictional wagering hubs, a law for which was passed in 2004. Two years later, no hubs are operating in the state.

International Racing Group, a rebate shop located in Curacao but owned and operated by United States-based Youbet.com, was licensed by the Oregon Racing Commission Nov. 2, and is the first such entity to be licensed by U.S. regulators.

For the second consecutive year Lethal Grande was named Oregon horse of the year and champion older male at the Oregon Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's annual awards banquet March 5 at Portland Meadows.

Five account-wagering hubs in Oregon handled a total of $883 million last year, up about 6% from the 2003 figure. Meanwhile, fourth-quarter handle for 2004 was down slightly from the same period in 2003, according to Oregon Racing Commission statistics.

Attorneys for Magna Entertainment Corp. filed countersuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Oregon Feb. 18 to formally answer a $1-million breach-of-contract action brought against the company by the Oregon Greyhound Association.

With no thaw in temperatures in the Portland metropolitan area, Portland Meadows Racetrack has canceled its live racing program Sunday for the second time in as many days due to frozen track conditions.

Youbet.com, the online wagering company based in California, continued its growth trend in the third quarter of 2004 with income of $791,085, compared with a loss of $617,853 for the same period in 2003.

Timber Legend, a half-brother to two grade I winners, and Unbridled's Comet, a $1.9 million Keeneland July yearling, have been retired from racing and will enter stud at Dr. Jack Root's Oakhurst Thoroughbreds near Newberg, Ore.

The Oregon Racing Commission is the latest pari-mutuel regulatory agency to rejoin the Association of Racing Commissioners International. Since July, Maryland, New York, and Virginia have reinstated membership.

The National Horsemen's Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, given the results of a recent study, has suggested research into medication thresholds and withdrawal times be performed using horses in training.

The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has adopted a memorandum of understanding with a company that plans to operate an offshore wagering hub, and it also endorsed a draft a report on pari-mutuel economics that suggests high-volume betting shops are important to the industry.

The Kentucky Senate March 26 passed three-prong legislation that authorizes creation of an international wagering hub, paves the way for live Quarter Horse racing, and gives Standardbred racetracks a tax break.

Legislation to authorize wagering hubs in Kentucky was introduced in the state Senate in early March and is moving through the legislative process as an amendment to a bill that would permit artificially inseminated horses to race in Kentucky. A hub measure was introduced in 2002 but it failed to garner support.

Portland Meadows has canceled Friday and Saturday racing due to unsafe weather conditions. Friday's closure marks the third consecutive day that Portland Meadows and all MEC Oregon Racing Inc. OTB's have been closed for simulcasting due to the severe weather conditions.

Changes in first post time and fuller fields have produced pari-mutuel gains this season for Portland Meadows, which on Dec. 1 cleared the half-million-dollar mark in total handle for a program for the first time in 15 years.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's operation of wagering hub in Oregon met with much resistance from some of its member racetracks at the beginning of the decade, but one thing's for certain: The concept has caught on, even though the NTRA is no longer a player.